


Adam Parrish's Beginning

by Merchant



Series: Raven Revisited [1]
Category: Raven Cycle - Maggie Stiefvater
Genre: Gen, Pre-Canon, Pre-Series
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-01
Updated: 2015-07-01
Packaged: 2018-04-07 02:43:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,019
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4246443
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Merchant/pseuds/Merchant
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>We all know what happens during the Raven Boys, but what occurred prior? This is an idea for what happened, from when Adam applied to Aglionby, up through when he comes across Gansey and Ronan for the first time.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Adam Parrish's Beginning

**Author's Note:**

> Originally posted on my [Tumblr](http://uaa-merchant.tumblr.com). This is the first of what will be a series of writings. Since we all know what happens in the book canon, I wanted to write what I felt certain characters were thinking about, what events went on, and so on, that weren't addressed in the books. Hope you all enjoy!
> 
> **The Raven Cycle and it's characters are the sole property of Maggie Stiefvater. I am the sole owner of this writing.**

Adam Parrish finished filling out his application for Aglionby Academy. He sent it in, and then quickly began searching for work, because he _knows_ he is going to be accepted, and he wants to be able to afford the tuition.

The days go by, and Adam is anxious. _What if I don’t get in?_ , he thinks to himself. He checks his mailbox every day, until one day, he discovers a fancy looking letter in the mail. It’s from Aglionby Academy.

Adam Parrish sits in his room, staring at this intimidating letter. He finally takes a deep breath, and opens the envelope slowly. He pulls out the papers inside with closed eyes, preparing himself for anything. Once he finally gets enough courage to open his eyes, his heart leaps from his chest as he reads the words “We are pleased to inform you that you’ve been accepted into Aglionby Academy”.

He immediately runs downstairs, almost tripping over himself. His grin could light up a small city, as he frantically gets his parents attention, showing them the acceptance letter. His mother and father read it, but they are not pleased. They have lived alongside Aglionby students, have seen how they treat families like theirs. They are horrified that their son would betray them, to want to be one of them. 

“How will you pay for this?”, they ask. “I’m looking for jobs right now. Plus, they’re giving me a loan to help cover the tuition, so once I find work, I’ll be able to afford the payments,” Adam replies. His mother and father don’t look at him the same way anymore.

With this great thing to look forward to, Adam pushes to find work even more. To his relief, he lands a few jobs. He calculates how much money he’d be making, compared to the cost of tuition payments. He will be making just enough. Adam Parrish counts down the days until the first day of classes.

Time goes by, and Adam takes a bike ride into town. He needs school supplies, which are easy to find. Afterwards, he remembers he needs to get a uniform. He can’t afford a new one, so he tries to quickly think of how to acquire one. Luckily, he comes across a thrift store, and he sees a worn-out Aglionby Academy uniform top. _It’ll have to do_ , Adam thinks.

The first day of classes finally arrives. Adam gets up early, gets himself cleaned and dressed up, and goes downstairs. He makes himself breakfast, greeting his parents. They see him with his Aglionby uniform, and even worn out, it was still a reminder of his betrayal. His parents say nothing to him.

Adam walks to the academy gates, and as he arrives, he is very aware of the reality. He sees the fancy cars pull in, sees the other students with their new uniforms, and Adam suddenly feels how out of place he is. He’s glad that he didn’t ride his bike, it being old and falling apart, an eyesore compared to the expensive cars he could only dream of owning. He suddenly hopes no one sees that his uniform top is used, and becomes self-conscious of how one of the shoulders keeps coming apart.

He doesn’t look at anyone as he heads to his first class, checking the map of the school every now and then to find the building he needed to be in. Once inside the classroom, he takes a seat, and looks around. As the students file in and take their seats, Adam feels a wave of confidence wash over him. _I’m here, this is real. I’m going to be one of you, just you wait._

Adam is brought out of his thoughts as some loud whispers fill his head. He looks in the direction of the whispers, and he sees what the source of the whispers are. In walks Gansey with some other students, a perfect example of an Aglionby student. Adam is suddenly filled with envy at the sight of him. It’s Richard Campbell Gansey III, after all. Everyone knew the Gansey family. Richard Campbell Gansey II, and his wife, were always plastered on cover stories in the newspaper, or on some news channel. It'd be hard _not_ to have heard of them, at least. 

Gansey politely converses with the other students, his smile lighting up the entire room, his voice laced with the accent of someone born with a silver spoon, suggesting just how different he is from Adam. Gansey is about to take his seat, when something distracts him, or the lack of something rather.

He strides to the door, and peers out. “Ronan Lynch, you’d better get in here. Don’t you dare try to skip out on classes, or I’ll drag you in here myself!”, Adam hears Gansey call out.

“Yes, Mother,” a rough voice dripping with sarcasm responds, and Adam watches as Gansey moves to the side to let this other boy into the classroom. The whispers suddenly die down as he enters.

A knot forms in Adam’s stomach at the sight of this new boy. He’s immediately transported back to that day at the grocery store. Adam remembers the shaven head, the shape of the boy’s face, his perfect figure and his perfect everything. As the boy wanders down the aisle, coming closer and closer to Adam, Adam swallows nervously. His eyes briefly meet the brilliant blue eyes of this boy, before said boy turns away, plopping down into the seat next to him, kicking his feet up onto the desk, and closing his eyes. Adam Parrish is intimidated, even as Richard Campbell Gansey III gives him a friendly smile and takes a seat in front of him.

Adam Parrish’s heart beats faster, and he can feel his hands sweating. _You can do this, Adam. Don't think about the guy next to you, don't even look at him. It's only a coincidence_. He steals quick glances to the boy next to him, out of the corner of his eye, regardless of his initial thought, hoping the other boy wasn’t looking at him. Thankfully, he wasn’t.


End file.
